Laura Stein is co-founder and Director of Dancing Grounds, a New Orleans non-profit about to celebrate its fifth birthday. She is also a whirling dervish of a worker bee! If I mix metaphors, it is because I am in awe of her.

Original music by Ethan Stern!

Curtis Thomas is a ticking time bomb! Just kidding. Curtis is a young professional dancer who grew up in New Orleans. His burgeoning career in dance performance makes Colleen a little teary-eyed, and pairs nicely with that of Gerri Houlihan.

Original music by Ethan Stern!

Gerri Houlihan is an accomplished dancer, a beloved teacher, and a pleasure to speak with. I met up with Gerri at this summer's American Dance Festival, in Durham, North Carolina.

Original music by Ethan Stern and DJ Plie!

Dave Hurlbert is Executive Director of the Marigny Opera House, a "Church of the Arts" in the Marigny neighborhood near New Orleans' French Quarter. We actually met up in Durham, North Carolina, where Dave is on the board of the American Dance Festival! (Like so many modern dance enthusiasts, I was once a student of ADF.)

Special thanks to Festival musician Andy Hasenpflug for today's music!

Greetings from beautiful Durham, North Carolina! And happy birthday, show. This time we're talking to Diana Hoffmaster. She is the Director of Grants and Development Operations at the American Dance Festival. We talk about the festival, the funding life, and how a passion for dance can make all the difference in finding support. Listen up, listeners: the world needs good grant writers! If you can't do, podcast.

Original music by Ethan Stern!

In a bit of a change of pace for the show, Baylor is still a high school student! But he has already pieced together a career, and plans to side-step - maybe permanently - the traditional routes of higher education. I thought this was going to be an interview about being young and new in the film industry, but in the best possible ways, I was way off.

Original music by Ethan Stern!